Tires. What should I buy for longest wear and best ride quality?

2986 Views 68 Replies 20 Participants Last post by 2019GTlife, 1 mo ago

ATOMANT

Discussion Starter · 5 mo ago

Any deals in Canada for a set of summers? I have a full set of new winters on wheels so a set of performance summers would be nice. Any particualr brands you love or hate? I wont run Generals or Dunplops or Firestone.

21 - 40 of 69 Posts

Jeepman

· #21 · 5 mo ago

I think the OP is looking at Tier 1 tires. Well, maybe not, the answer is blowing in the wind. I don't think Douglas will do though.

The thing about "longest wear and best ride quality" is that a hard tire wears longer but has potentially lesser ride quality, unless it's aired down maybe. Then the tire edges will wear. Can't win on that one.

Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone etc. are big brand Tier 1 tire makers (apparently) with subsidiaries that make Tier 2 or Tier 3 tires. Douglas is probably a Tier 3 tire but offers good value.

www.tirereview.com

2018 Tire Tier Study: The Results

We asked those from across the industry to identify which tire brands belonged in their distinct tiers for different segments. Take a look at the results.

www.tirereview.com

Reactions: 1

04Quadcab

· #22 · 5 mo ago

General RT43s. Just replaced a set that had 70,000mi on them; would have easily done another 10,000 or more, but I let one get chewed up due to alignment problem. Good ride, quiet, great traction in all conditions.
I replaced them with Nokian One tires because I got a super price on them. So far (only a couple of thousand miles on them) I like them a lot. Seem to be fully the equal of the generals but even quieter. I am suspicious of snow capability, tho- tread is not very aggressive looking.

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civie

· #23 · 5 mo ago

I have tried Cooper and Continental and always came up with out of round tires they would not make good. I have never had a Michelin that was out of round. I do not put a lot of miles on a car so my Michelins weather crack as has already been mentioned, so I might try something else next.

Jeepman

· #24 · 5 mo ago

civie said:
I have tried Cooper and Continental and always came up with out of round tires they would not make good. I have never had a Michelin that was out of round. I do not put a lot of miles on a car so my Michelins weather crack as has already been mentioned, so I might try something else next.

Michelins should stand up to the environment as well as any other Tier 1 tire. When were your tires manufactured (week/year)?

That's another thing about tires, they could be two years old, or older, when you buy them. It pays to check the dates on the tires. Watch out for real good deals, could be offloading old stock..

Reactions: 3

vioc34

· #25 · 5 mo ago

I just put the Nokian One's on my 2014 T&C. Can't beat the price for 80K tread life. So far they have road quiet and I have not noticed any decrease in MPG. Haven't had a chance to try them in the snow yet but just based on the tread pattern they look like they will do fine.

Reactions: 1

Sunvanse

· #26 · 5 mo ago

Long_Voyager94 said:
I've gotten 40-50k out of each set I've had. I usually replace tires around the 5-6/32 tread mark though as I have to deal with winter use, so I could easily have made 60-70k out of them in a non-winter climate.

That's where I am now, a non-winter Climate🌞

Reactions: 1

civie

· #27 · 5 mo ago

Jeepman said:
Michelins should stand up to the environment as well as any other Tier 1 tire. When were your tires manufactured (week/year)?

That's another thing about tires, they could be two years old, or older, when you buy them. It pays to check the dates on the tires. Watch out for real good deals, could be offloading old stock..

I got the tires from Sams Club 5 years ago. They have about 38,000 miles on them. I don't know how old they were when I purchased them. I have had the same problem with other Michelin tires, even when I put more miles per year on them. I have seen others confirming that Michelin tires do not weather well.

Reactions: 1

Jeepman

· #28 · 5 mo ago

civie said:
I got the tires from Sams Club 5 years ago. They have about 38,000 miles on them. I don't know how old they were when I purchased them. I have had the same problem with other Michelin tires, even when I put more miles per year on them. I have seen others confirming that Michelin tires do not weather well.

Your tires aren't receiving enough exercise.

Tis true? Low tire pressure also facilitates cracking. High pressure can be bad too. Sooo many conditions apply. Most comparisons are apples to oranges.

If you underinflate your tires, they are going to generate a lot more heat and thus will expand and contract which ultimately leads to premature cracking.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=30

The anti-aging chemicals used in the rubber compounds are more effective when the tire is "exercised" on a frequent basis. The repeated stretching of the rubber compound actually helps resist cracks forming. The tires used on vehicles that are driven infrequently, or accumulate low annual mileage are more likely to experience cracking because long periods of parking or storage interrupt "working" the rubber.

Tire manufacturers' warranties typically cover cracking for a period of 4 years from the date the tire was purchased (receipt for the new tires or in-service date of the vehicle required) or four years from the date the tire was manufactured.

"Weather checking", now that is something else = not so bad.

From an RV Forum. RVs are parked a lot. Tire covers anyone?

Michelin tire weather cracking question. - iRV2 Forums

While doing a routine check of the tires I noticed the front tires had moderate weather cracking near (2-3") the bead. A check of the rear tires showed no cracking. The tires are only 4 years old

www.irv2.com

Just attended Michelin rep lecture at the FMCA in Indio. M claims that small cracks are ok. recently they started warranty cracks, but they have to be 2 mm deep. (they have a little chart with pics, what is acceptable and non acceptable crack) M also advertise that you can ride on their tires 10 years or till the tread is 4/32

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Reactions: 1

KOG

· #29 · 5 mo ago

No other tire company matches Michelin for quality control, low rolling resistance, long life, and lowest total cost of ownership. Yes, they aren't the lowest priced tire, but they are the lowest cost.

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jnovickijr

· #30 · 5 mo ago

I'd love to know the secret to getting mileage out of a set of tires. I am on set number 7 with just under 90k miles on my 2015 T&C. I've had Goodyear, Uniroyal, and Michelin and have not had one go beyond 15k. Alignment is perfect and wear even just always quickly.

04Quadcab

· #31 · 5 mo ago

I'd like to know the secret of wearing out tires so fast! I have 194,000 miles on my 13 and have done that on 3 sets of tires.

Reactions: 3

gravitylover

· #32 · 5 mo ago

KOG said:
No other tire company matches Michelin for quality control, low rolling resistance, long life, and lowest total cost of ownership. Yes, they aren't the lowest priced tire, but they are the lowest cost.

I respectfully disagree. I've had a few sets of Michelins over the last 20 years and didn't appreciate any of them.

jnovickijr said:
I'd love to know the secret to getting mileage out of a set of tires. I am on set number 7 with just under 90k miles on my 2015 T&C. I've had Goodyear, Uniroyal, and Michelin and have not had one go beyond 15k. Alignment is perfect and wear even just always quickly.

Pay close attention to pressures is important but I think the most important is that the tires have the proper load rating for the vehicle. Most people and tire shops shoot for the best price in the right size but ignore the load. These vans aren't heavy but they're also not light so the 102H (or lower) tires that I frequently see on them shouldn't be expected to get much more than 20-25k. Sidewall integrity is critical when you have a top heavy vehicle like these especially if you do a lot of urban and suburban driving where you're cornering and braking a lot.

It's not about the brand, everyone makes something appropriate. Many of the new LRR tires will run 40k easily if the basic requirements are met.

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Reactions: 1

Long_Voyager94

· #33 · 5 mo ago

jnovickijr said:
I'd love to know the secret to getting mileage out of a set of tires. I am on set number 7 with just under 90k miles on my 2015 T&C. I've had Goodyear, Uniroyal, and Michelin and have not had one go beyond 15k. Alignment is perfect and wear even just always quickly.

I get 50k miles on my General Altimax RT43s. I replace them with 5/32 tread remaining due to needing to drive them in winter safely.
They get rotated every other oil change, so every 8k miles.
They get checked from proper 36psi inflation regularly as well.

Reactions: 2

Biglou44

· #34 · 5 mo ago

I have had two blowouts in my lifetime, both were Michelin's. I went directly to the nearest WM and got Good Year Wranglers. (Oldsmobile 98, and 99 Tahoe) Never a problem with a blowout. They ride smoother and last a decent amount of time. I presently have a set of Ironman tires on my 2013 Dodge grand caravan SXT, they came on the van new, about three years ago. About 50,030 miles, now 106,060 with 6/32 on the depth gauge.
Good ride and fairly quiet. My favorite is Good Year, but may consider something else. I like a quiet ride. My experience with so many tires in the past is they have bumps in them. Cooper was bad about that. Firestone's were ok.

2019GTlife

· #35 · 5 mo ago

gravitylover said:
I respectfully disagree. I've had a few sets of Michelins over the last 20 years and didn't appreciate any of them.

Pay close attention to pressures is important but I think the most important is that the tires have the proper load rating for the vehicle. Most people and tire shops shoot for the best price in the right size but ignore the load. These vans aren't heavy but they're also not light so the 102H (or lower) tires that I frequently see on them shouldn't be expected to get much more than 20-25k. Sidewall integrity is critical when you have a top heavy vehicle like these especially if you do a lot of urban and suburban driving where you're cornering and braking a lot.

It's not about the brand, everyone makes something appropriate. Many of the new LRR tires will run 40k easily if the basic requirements are met.

Michelins also have the softest sidewalls from what I have heard, that could be good or bad. I got 70k miles out of Dextero 2 tires on a Cherokee only rotated them once and only balance was beads. So much for you get what you pay for.

I agree with the above post about the load rating but would like to add that your individual driving style/habits will also have a great impact on the longevity of your tires. As will the roads you drive on. Is the road surface rough like tar and gravel or does it have the “traction grooves” in the surface? Are there lots of potholes that even if small can over time wear on a tire.

I don’t know who makes the best tires,,,I have not tried them all yet.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sienile

· #36 · 5 mo ago

jnovickijr said:
I'd love to know the secret to getting mileage out of a set of tires. I am on set number 7 with just under 90k miles on my 2015 T&C. I've had Goodyear, Uniroyal, and Michelin and have not had one go beyond 15k. Alignment is perfect and wear even just always quickly.

Perfect alignment, not "perfect" alignment which is barely in spec; but actual perfect alignment with all the numbers dead center of the specified range. For me this required rear axle alignment shims, camber bolts, and a front subframe alignment after my ex's deer collision, in addition to replacement of the busted front suspension.

Reactions: 1

Jeepman

· #37 · 5 mo ago

Sienile said:
Perfect alignment, not "perfect" alignment which is barely in spec; but actual perfect alignment with all the numbers dead center of the specified range. For me this required rear axle alignment shims, camber bolts, and a front subframe alignment after my ex's deer collision, in addition to replacement of the busted front suspension.

Who fixed up the deer, new antlers and such?

Sienile

· #38 · 5 mo ago

I wanted to fix him up for dinner, but he got flung into the woods and it was dark.

Reactions: 2

jnovickijr

· #39 · 5 mo ago

04Quadcab said:
I'd like to know the secret of wearing out tires so fast! I have 194,000 miles on my 13 and have done that on 3 sets of tires.

I'd love to have that problem. The last three Goodyear sets were all replaced under the mileage guarantee, and have tried Assurance ComfortTred, Assurance WeatherReady, to now the Assurance ComfortDrive. I swear I'm going with some Wrangler ATs next, because this is ridiculous.

jnovickijr

· #40 · 5 mo ago

gravitylover said:
I respectfully disagree. I've had a few sets of Michelins over the last 20 years and didn't appreciate any of them.

Pay close attention to pressures is important but I think the most important is that the tires have the proper load rating for the vehicle. Most people and tire shops shoot for the best price in the right size but ignore the load. These vans aren't heavy but they're also not light so the 102H (or lower) tires that I frequently see on them shouldn't be expected to get much more than 20-25k. Sidewall integrity is critical when you have a top heavy vehicle like these especially if you do a lot of urban and suburban driving where you're cornering and braking a lot.

It's not about the brand, everyone makes something appropriate. Many of the new LRR tires will run 40k easily if the basic requirements are met.

Keep pressure set at 37, even across the tread wear. I do have 102H rating now, but there isn't much higher available in the 225/65R17 OEM size. Even Tire Rack doesn't have more than 2 or 3 higher, and they definitely are made for trucks.

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